Shloka 22

The Preta’s Staged Journey to Yama’s City: Monthly Śrāddha Supports, Vaitaraṇī Crossing, and the Witnesses of Deeds

Devanagari script

यमस्यैवानुजः सौरिर्यत्र राज्यं प्रशास्ति हि / मासैस्तु पञ्चभिः सार्धैरूपषाण्मासिकं भवेत्

Transliteration

yamasyaivānujaḥ sauriryatra rājyaṃ praśāsti hi / māsaistu pañcabhiḥ sārdhairūpaṣāṇmāsikaṃ bhavet

Translation

అక్కడ యముని తమ్ముడు సౌరి రాజ్యాన్ని పాలిస్తాడు; ఐదు నరమాసాలు గడిచినప్పుడు ఆ కర్మ ‘షాణ్మాసిక’ (ఆరు నెలల) వ్రతంగా అవుతుంది.

Word by Word

• यमस्य: of Yama
• यमस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• अनुजः: younger brother
• अनुजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• सौरिः: Sauri (a name)
• सौरिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; विशेषनाम

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-अव्ययम् (relative adverb of place)

• राज्यम्: kingdom/rule
• राज्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• प्रशास्ति: governs/rules
• प्रशास्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + शास् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (assertive/explanatory particle)

• मासैः: with/by months
• मासैः: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrastive particle)

• पञ्चभिः: by five
• पञ्चभिः: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषणम्

• सार्धैः: together with (a half)
• सार्धैः: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सार्ध (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभावार्थ)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; 'सार्ध' = 'सहित' (together with/and a half)

• ऊपषाण्मासिकम्: a near-six-month period
• ऊपषाण्मासिकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऊप + षाण्मासिक (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (ऊप-षाण्मासिकम् = 'उप-षाण्मासिकम्' ~ 'almost six-month term')

• भवेत्: would be/should be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Ekoddishta

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: After five and a half months; transition into the ṣāṇmāsika (six-month) observance.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ritual time (kāla) and prescribed observances (ṣāṇmāsika) are meaningful supports for the departed within the ordered administration of the afterlife.

Vedantic Theme: Kāla as a regulator within īśvara’s order; dharma as harmonizing human action with cosmic administration.

Application: Observe śrāddha milestones accurately (including the ṣāṇmāsika) and maintain continuity of offerings and remembrance.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: city/kingdom

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: śrāddha-kāla sections describing monthly/half-yearly rites (māsika/ṣāṇmāsika); Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: named rulers/officials in Yama’s realm and their jurisdictions

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Sauri

FAQs

What is the importance of the ṣāṇmāsika (six-month) rite in the Garuda Purana?

This verse links the ‘six-monthly’ observance to a practical calendrical rule: after five and a half months have elapsed, it is treated as the ṣāṇmāsika, emphasizing timely post-death rites in the Preta Kanda framework.

How does this verse explain the governance of Yama’s realm?

It notes that Yama’s younger brother, called Sauri, administers a kingdom ‘there’—a narrative detail used in the Garuda Purana’s mapping of the after-death domains and their rulers.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

For practitioners following śrāddha schedules, the verse supports careful observance of milestone rites—especially the six-month rite—by recognizing that five and a half months may be treated as the ṣāṇmāsika timing in practice.